Flat32

I have a more discerning eye. I've used online searches and came extremely close but haven't pulled the purchase trigger yet. I'm figuring I'll need two or three not free fonts costing $15 to $20 each. It's the BEN-HUR COFFEE logo that's a real pita to create. I'm not doing very well digesting how to utilize Coreldraw. Menu system is confusing and not intuitive to me.

Mile a minute version.

Here's a link to the guy that restores them. Neon is funny, looks like BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH up close in the daytime, but spectacular at night. http://signsoftn.com/neon-signs/restorations/ Got some progress on the sign computer model. There's some gingerbread I didn't do yet at the top. That Hudson is hard to find with doors.

Learning about vintage neon sign construction.

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That's perfect. Sticking it into Coreldraw as my first learning project. Actually the sign outline shape is kinda grotesque artwise, but simple straight lines and I'll do that first. Hard to not jump into a font search and procrastinate on learning Corel. I really appreciate your help. What software are you using to manipulate the images??

Now that is an interesting read. Passion is the key. I'm about to read the essay again. Thanks for posting the link.

Adjusted H/W proportions. Now I have to jump into Coreldraw and see if I can master the vector creation step. If I'm able to do that there will be a photon at the end of the tunnel. Stumbled onto a bird's nest while weeding in my yard and contemplated the little brown egg in it. Cute little nest at the base of a rock wall. Thinking about how a bird with no hands or exacto knife scratch built the thing using whatever scraps of grass he found. No instruction sheet, no internet, no glue and certainly no political interests. Then there's that egg.....

I found a more straight on shots of the roof mounted sign, night time is most straight. "For a few minutes" for real?? It would have taken me a week just to figure out how to do that and a couple days to pull it off. It appears like you straightening corrected the foreshortening too. The sign surface is flat, but the CARPENTER"S and BEN-HUR COFFEE letters are raised from the flat surface with neon tubes offset a bit further outward. The DELICIOUS DRIP letters are flat on the surface with only the neon tubes protruding. The raised letters I have to extrude in the 3D CAD model. SANDWICHES and BEN-HUR COFFEE are what I refer to as artsy that need to be vectorized so I can extrude them. Can you do that??? I have no idea what's in your skillset toolbox, but I'm impressed so far. I have a Xerox Phaser 6022 laser printer.

Brad, can you handle this sign's artwork?? Do you know how to take a skewed photo and manipulate it to a straight on view?? Straight on is for the purpose of making the structural CAD models of the signs easier more than for creating the art, but would help there too. The sign on top of the building and the one at the street corner are the one's I'm referring to here. These photos are my best reference for them so far. Can you imagine a Norgaard's Sandwiches version?? You're welcome to join the fray and I'd love to see multiples of this built by folks with established skills and do it real justice.

This is the same corner where Carpenter's was until this "thing" got built in 1938. I recognized the street lights.

Many folks who manage to get things done are those that have found a good way to cut corners, accept less than perfect, or cheat. I chose to cheat by buying Danbury and Franklin mint cars first. All of my Model A cars came with opening doors. Wouldn't mind having a TROG banger A show up at Carpenters, or even a T speedster. It's all a dream, like where I got my best sex.

The large photo was taken by a professional and most probably commissioned by Harry Carpenter very soon after it opened. I rather enjoy doing the research and getting intimate with the subject. The more I know the greater the interest I get and that increases the probability of actually building it. Somebody has to build it. Just too neat to ignore IMHO. I'm not a real model builder like the guys on this forum Most of my building experience is with 1:1 stuff. I currently have no workspace dedicated to any model building so I can't say I'm into the hobby yet. Sort of running out of years.

That is interesting. The 1/24 Monogram is more closely 1:25 scale while the Revell 1/25 examples are more closely 1:24 scale. ,725 x 25 = 18.125 .767 x 24 = 18.408 .775 x 24 = 18.5 So if Casy's model A is 1/24 either of the Revell engines are pretty scale accurate for it. All of the builds with Flatheads that I've seen on this forum look very OK to me.

Henry Ford had his foundry pattern makers use precision measuring tools that the toolmakers and production machinists used. I doubt if the head castings varied in length by even plus or minus 1/16". In my somewhat limited experience with aftermarket aluminum heads I never saw a variation much more than 1/8" in length. Don't forget it was Ford that manufactured the Johansson gage blocks used throughout industry as precision certified standards. You'd probably be surprised at how close Henry's manufacturing tolerances were and how all were checked.

18.68", but the block and head castings can vary and this dimension is not determined by machining. I believe nominal was probably 18.75". The machined head mount surfaces on the block are 7.19" wide on the driver's side and 6.81" wide on the passenger's side.

Actual 1:1 early block is 25.625" from front machined face to machined transmission mount surface. I have complete computer models of the 59 block and 1939 transmission. White one looks better except for strange inaccuracy in driver's side head mounting surface at the rear. Black one is more correct in this detail.

Are the judges always model builders themselves??

Scratch building gets shown, appreciated and respected more on this forum than it would at a show IMHO. At a show only the result is seen and for a limited time by folks with a thousand other things to see. Here the process is exhibited and can be studied by anyone interested at his own most convenient time. The "competition" is with the individual builder working to achieve better than his previous best. On this forum I can sense the passion and pride of some very skilled gentlemen enjoying what they do. My hat is off to every one of them.

Have you played with that feature?? Reason I ask is I've got a little plastic toy that has it and works really well. Kids love it and so do I. I have a vision of drag racing models based on the pull and go "engine".

Pull back and go???

Restrooms and storage building. Looks like it was an existing structure that went with the brake service garage before the sandwich shop was built on the property. The sidewalk looks relatively fresh and the little tree just planted. The lighter shaded portion of the lot appears to be compacted crushed stone, not concrete.

I have a closeup photo of that building and I can make out the restroom signs. men on the left, women on the right. Been having a little fun looking to create the street lamp. It's a corner lot so it could be fit on a quarter circle. The photo is so good it's hard to not include the entire scene in my anticipated plans. Needs to have room for over 30 cars and trucks. The lower left is a car repair shop and the next door business is a two bay garage brake service shop. I like the way Shambles does things.